Sam Lammers of FC Twente celebrates scoring his team's goal during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between Manchester United and FC Twente at Old Trafford. The teams tied 1-1 on Sept. 25, 2024 in Manchester.Carl Recine/Getty Images
Manchester United’s latest setback came at the hands of manager Erik ten Hag’s old team FC Twente, which pulled off a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in the revamped Europa League on Wednesday.
Sam Lammers capitalized on a mistake by Christian Eriksen in the second half and raced away to fire an equalizer for the Dutch underdog.
Eriksen had put United ahead with a stunning first-half goal but was caught in possession by Lammers, whose goal secured an unexpected point for the visitors.
Ten Hag had spoken before the game of his affection for the team he supported as a boy in the Netherlands and represented as a player. He said it was “not nice to have to hurt something you love,” but it was United fans left in pain, despite Eriksen seemingly putting the home team on course for victory.
The Denmark international swept United ahead in the 35th with a first-time shot into the top corner. Connecting with a loose ball just inside the box, the playmaker didn’t break stride as he whipped his effort past Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall with power and precision.
With one fist clenched, he ran to the corner to celebrate in front of the home fans.
But it was Twente’s supporters left cheering the loudest after Lammers’s goal in the 68th beat Andre Onana at his near post.
Like the Champions League, the second-tier Europa League has a new format and 36 teams instead of 32. It features a league system in which each team plays eight games against different opponents through January, replacing the old group stage.
Early wins
Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt and Dutch side AZ Alkmaar became the first teams to claim victories earlier on Wednesday.
Jens Petter Hauge’s two goals guided 10-man Bodo/Glimt from a goal down to a 3-2 win over Porto while Troy Parrott netted the winner from the penalty spot for Alkmaar to beat Sweden’s Elfsborg 3-2.
Porto, a two-time champion in Europe’s second-tier league, got an early goal from Samu. Kasper Hogh’s equalized and Hauge netted twice for a 3-1 lead. Porto reduce the deficit to one in the final minute through substitute Deniz Gul.
Alkmaar answered Timothy Ouma’s opener with two goals from Ruben van Bommel on both sides of the interval. Simon Hedlund made it 2-2 before Parrott’s late penalty.
Ahead of a late game between Dynamo Kyiv and Lazio, a group of about 60 Lazio fans were stopped by German authorities in Hamburg after attempting to avoid a police escort and were found to be carrying knives, clubs and other weapons. Fans who were held overnight were banned from attending Wednesday’s game but there were no arrests.
Dynamo plays its home Europa League games in Hamburg because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.